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Integrating virus-host interactions with host protein-protein interactions, we have created a method using these established network practices to identify host factors (i.e., proteins) that are likely candidates for antiviral drug targeting. We demonstrate that interaction cascades between host proteins that directly interact with viral proteins and host factors that are important to influenza virus replication are enriched for...

The eukaryotic Ago proteins and the RNA interference pathways they are involved in are widely used as a powerful tool in research and as potential therapeutics. In contrast, the properties and functions of prokaryotic Ago (pAgo) proteins have remained poorly understood. Understanding the diversity and functions of pAgos holds a huge potential for discovery of new cellular pathways and novel tools for genome manipulations. Only few pAgos...

C. difficile is a spore-forming anaerobic bacterium which causes infection of the large intestine with high mortality rates. The C. difficile infection is difficult to prevent and treat, as the pathogen is resistant to many antimicrobial agents. Prolonged use of β-lactam antibiotics for treatment of...

Ever since daptomycin was introduced to the clinic, daptomycin-resistant isolates have been reported. In most cases, the resistant isolates harbor point mutations in MprF, which produces and flips the positively charged phospholipid LysPG. This has led to the assumption that the resistance mechanism relies on the overproduction of LysPG, given that increased LysPG production may lead to increased electrostatic repulsion of positively...

Ventilator-associated pneumonia and catheter-related bacteremia are the most common and severe infections caused by Acinetobacter baumannii. Besides the capsule, lipopolysaccharides, and the outer membrane porin OmpA, little is known about the contribution of secreted proteins to A. baumannii...

The most advanced vaccine against Plasmodium falciparum malaria, RTS,S/AS01, provides partial protection in infants and children living in areas of malaria endemicity. Further understanding its mechanisms of protection may allow the development of improved second-generation vaccines.

The epidemiology of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus has changed considerably over the last 3 decades, including the recognition of lineages associated with the community and with livestock exposure, in addition to nosocomial strains. A recent study by R.

Middle ear infections (or otitis media [OM]) are highly prevalent among children worldwide and present a tremendous socioeconomic challenge for health care systems. More importantly, this disease diminishes the quality of life of young children. OM is often chronic and recurrent, due to the presence of highly antibiotic-resistant communities of bacteria (called biofilms) that persist within the middle ear space. To combat these...

Escherichia coli strains which produce CTX-M extended-spectrum beta-lactamases are endemic as colonizers of humans and in the environment in South Asia. This study demonstrates that acquisition of CTX-M-producing E. coli (CTX-M-EC) in travelers from the United Kingdom to South Asia is polyclonal,...